Recruiting agents are set to lose a large chunk of business as employers increasingly embrace social media and online recruiting, the head of global brand and talent attraction at Expedia predicts.

Jeremy Langhans spoke to The Australian Financial Review about his pioneering work at Expedia and coffee giant Starbucks, and says recruiters are right to be “a little scared".

From his office in Bellevue, Washington, ahead of his presentation to the Australasian Talent Conference in Sydney on December 4-5, Langhans says Starbucks began trialling recruitment via social media in 2009 after he started as employment brand manager.

“It didn’t happen overnight," he says.

“In the first 12 months we filled hundreds of jobs. In year two we made more hires than all the head hunters and external recruiters, and for far less money.

“Agencies are taking a bit of a hit but it’s the right thing to do. If you can build rather than buy it you should do it," he says.

The former
Cisco
,
Microsoft
and Yahoo! consultant says Starbucks’ decision to use social media and online tools to recruit was part of a broader transformation in its attitude to job applicants in 2009. “We made billions of dollars out of the legendary experience we gave to customers . . . in stark contrast we treated our candidates horribly," he says.

Unsuccessful applicants often never even heard back from the company. The transformation “started with replying to people, giving them good customer service and treating people with humanity," Langhans says. Starbucks embraced social media, began putting ads on Instagram and posting YouTube videos.

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This response was partly about keeping a section of Starbucks customers happy, given there are 190,000 Starbucks barista roles alone around the globe. “If you provide a positive experience they can become even more of a fan of the brand, even if they don’t get the job," he says.

Starbucks also used a drip marketing strategy to stay in touch with failed applicants who might later have a future with the company.

It proved to be a “golden ticket to having the best talent", Langhans says. This included making contact in three different ways over six months via email, Twitter or Facebook and the odd YouTube clip. Langhans now works for online travel giant Expedia, which employs some 8000 people globally.

One of his latest projects is optimising results from the search tool indeed.com (and indeed.com.au), which is “like a Google for jobs". While the website scrapes other sites for job ads, it is possible to bid for better placement. “It’s expensive but we will try it out," Langhans says. His top tips for employers pursuing online recruiting are: cut out the noise and only send personalised information to candidates; and add smart phones and tablets to the mix.

“A portable web experience that engages candidates via mobile devices is where the future of recruitment and candidate engagement is headed," he says.